1708. Miscellaneous reflections, ocassion’d by the comet which appear’d in December 1680, chiefly intending to explode popular superstitions. Translated from the French. To which is added, The author’s life. In two volumes. Digitized by Google Books. Printed in London by J. Morphew, 1708. Volume 1. Volume 2.

See also the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy page on Pierre Bayle.

*****

François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (commonly known as François Fénelon, 1651-1715)

Les aventures de Télémaque, fils d’Ulysse, Tome I,Tome II. Digitized by Gallica. Published in Venice by G. Zerletti in 1768. (originally written in Latin and published in 1699). In Rousseau’s Émile, Telemachus is the only book that Émile is encouraged to read upon reaching adulthood.

Le discours de réception à l’Académie française (written shortly before Fénelon’s death in 1715) was published the year after his death. It is regarded as a culmination of Fénelon’s thinking, and is considered one of the most important early Enlightenment texts dealing with the dichotomy between the ancients and the moderns.

1737. État de la France. Tome premier,[1737] Tome deuxième,[1752] Tome quatrième,[1737]. Digitized by Google Books [note that the metadata for this volume is incorrect. This is the 4th volume, not volume 3.] Published in London by T. Wood & S. Palmer, 1737.

One of the earliest figures of the French Enlightenment, Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle straddled the 17th and 18th centuries. His thinking was a product and reflection of both centuries. A nice overview article at l’Encylcopédie de l’Agorahere.

ca. 1682. La république des philosophes ou histoire des Ajaoiens. Jonathan Israel writes of this book, “the strange name is parody of Huet’s term ‘Jao,’ in Demonstratio Evangelia, as an abbreviation for ‘Jehovan.’ ‘Ajaoiens’ therefore signifies non-believers in Jehovah. (Radical Enlightenment, 592) The book was not published until after de Fontenelle was already dead, and even in 1768 was clandestinely printed in Holland. Digitized by Google Books. This edition published in Geneva, 1768.

1683. Nouveaux dialogues des morts. Digitized by Google Books. Tome I (nouvelle éd., published in Lyon by Thomas Amaulry, 1683), Tome II (published in Bouillon by l’Imprimerie de la Société Typographique, 1777), Tome III – have not located a digital copy yet. Tomes I and II digitized by Google Books. Published in Oeuvres diverses de M. de Fontenelle de l’Académie française. Published in the Hague by P. Gosse & J. Neaulme, 1727.

1685. Lettres galantes du Chevalier d’Her***. Digitized by Google Books. “Nouvelle Edition augmentée” published in London by Paul & Isaak Vaillant, 1713. This edition is in one volume only as compared to the earlier editions and printings which contained more letters and were published in two volumes. However in this edition, the publishers have made an attempt to weed out the letters which they considered “moins agréables.”

1686. Relation de l’isle de Bornéo. Digitized by Gallica. Authorship is uncertain; de Fontenelle is mentioned in the preface as a translator rather than an author. But other sources have presumed that de Fontenelle is the author or at least a contributor. Published in 1807 by G. Peignot in Europe.

1686. Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes. Digitized by Google Books. This edition is part of Oeuvres diverses de M. de Fontenelle. Published in Amsterdam by Pierre Mortier, 1701. Nouvelle édition, augmentée. The English translation of this work, A plurality of worlds, was originally translated and published in Dublin in 1687. This digitized edition was published by R.W. in London, 1702; translated by Glanvill. Digitized by Google Books. A week’s conversations on the plurality of worldsappears to be a ninth edition of this work, published in Edinburgh by John Orphoot in 1809. Digitized by Google Books.

1687. Histoire des Oracles. According to Jonathan Israel, this is an early landmark Enlightenment text (Radical Enlightenment, 361). Fontenelle declares in the preface that he borrowed everything for this book from De Oraculis Ethnicorum (Amsterdam, 1683) by the Haarlem physician Anthonii van Dale. Fontenelle’s translation from the Latin ensured that van Dale’s work would enjoy a wider circulation. [Read the original work by van Dale.] Digitized by Google Books. This edition published in Paris by Michel Brunet, 1707. According to Voltaire, he was persecuted for this work.

1721. Lettres persanes. (Link includes the entire document, 2 tomes and supplement, note the pagination). Digitized by Gallica. Published in Cologne by Pierre Marteau, 1754. The preface indicates that the author does not want to be recognized. He writes, “Je connois une femme qui marche assez bien, mais qui boîte dès qu’on la regarde.” Interesting that the publisher identifies itself as being “près des Jésuites.” Is that in location, or spirit, or both?

17__. L’Esprit des lois. Published in Oeuvres de M. de Montesquieu. [Tome 1] Digitized by Gallica. Published in London by Nourse, 1767.

17__. L’Esprit des lois. Published in Oeuvres de M. de Montesquieu. [Tome 2] Digitized by Gallica. Published in London by Nourse, 1767.

Although not a philosopher per se, this librarian of Mazarin’s library (one of the largest and most impressive libraries in early 18th century France) published a treatise on the concept of a universal, post-confessional library collection. The collections of such libraries would include the widest range of texts regarding religions, philosophies, sciences and every branch of knowledge.

1748. Les Moeurs.Digitized by Google Books. New edition, review and corrected. Published in Oxford by Isaac Verderlick, 1795.

*****

Jean-Martin de Prades (Abbé de Prades) (1720-1782)

1752. Apologie de Monsieur l’Abbé de Prades. Digitized by Google Books. After successfully defending his thesis for a licentiate in theology at the Sorbonne, de Prades was forced to leave France on the charge of heresy. His examiners had not noticed that de Prades seemed to take his text from the “Discours Préliminaire” of Diderot’s Encyclopédie. Published in Amsterdam, 1752.